Precious Love
by miss molly rae
Summary: It wasn't one big sweeping notion. It was those little moments in their lives that made them... well them. Vignettes from the teenagehood of Sheen Estevez and Libby Folfax.


**I can't say exactly, but I know I've been working on this for a very long time, and I'm still not entirely sure if I feel ready to publish it. I rewatched the entire series of Jimmy Neutron on Netflix, reliving my childhood. And this time around, Sheen and Libby just really stuck with me. I have a huge crush on Sheen, and I knew puberty would be kind to him. I think they could have a really interesting relationship, so I did some speculating, and my speculating turned into an almost 5,000 word oneshot. Feedback is much appreciated, good and bad. And please enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: ** I do not know any of the Jimmy Neutron franchise, Doctor Who, Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Back to the Future, or any other science fiction mentioned. I wish though...

* * *

It took Jimmy over a year to find exactly where Sheen had blasted off to and bring him back to Retroville.

And in that time, there wasn't a single day that she didn't think about him. She'd walk home from school with Cindy and do her homework while listening to the latest Greystar CD. She'd talk to her parents and watch TV and look at new clothes online. But she always had a time when she'd sit at her desk with Meltyface and remember everything she knew about Sheen. His obnoxious but slightly attractive voice, his infinite number of Ultralord shirts and action figures, the way his eyes would practically pop out of his head when he got worked up about something, the endless nicknames he created for her, each one more ridiculous than the last. She'd laugh and smile, get angry, and sometimes cry. It was after Jimmy and Cindy started dating that she spent more time looking at Meltyface and wishing he'd come back to her.

She missed him.

* * *

When he did finally come back, he had millions of stories he wanted to share with pretty much everyone. She saw him standing in front of the Candy Bar, shouting about aliens and a planet called Zenu at the top of his lungs.

"And I crashed the rocket into, you'll never believe this, DORKUS's house!" he yelled at a passerby.

She had to smile to herself because she missed this, and as horrible as her year without Sheen was, she wanted to hear about his year without her. "Yo Sheen!"

His eyes were as big as ever. "Libby! Did I tell you the story about how I accidentally made a Chocktow get captured by Animal Control, so I had to go undercover to free it?"

And even though she has heard this story multiple times, she shakes her head. "Why don't you tell me about it over some ice cream?"

* * *

They all finally graduated elementary school. For Sheen, he never thought this day would come, since he was thirteen and going into the sixth grade.

"Sheen you barely made it, you're going to have to try harder." He was getting used to admonishments from wasn't his fault, school just didn't hold his interest, not like Ultralord or paddle balls.

Jimmy tested out of basic sixth grade science, and Carl had science during a different period. He didn't like being by himself, but then he became lab partners with Libby. It suited them both just fine. Libby was smart enough to help him pass, and he got to spend an hour every day with her making things explode.

"Libby what does this do?"

"Sheen, don't touch…"

There was a hiss and a powerful boom that shook every lab table in the classroom. Beaker shards were everywhere, and his face was covered in black soot.

"That," she finished.

After the long lab safety lecture, he danced out, dragging her behind him.

"That. Was. Awesome! Let's do it again tomorrow."

* * *

He taught her how to spar.

One day he showed up outside her house wearing his Ultralord mask and holding two long brooms taped to rakes. "I challenge you… To a duel!"

She was skeptical at first, but he threw himself at her feet, begging her to be his spar partner.

"I'll never get to be a crime fighter with mega-super-awesome skills if I can't practice! My battle skills must be top notch!"

She rolled her eyes, but agreed. Looking back, she never regretted it. They practiced landing touches and offense and defense moves all afternoon, screeching battle cries at the top of their lungs. It quickly became a weekly ritual.

* * *

By the time Valentine's Day rolls around, he's got a good idea of how to win her back.

She was his friend, but he wanted her back as his girlfriend. Oddly enough, he liked the idea of her being royalty while he would live in humble servitude. He liked the way she would take command and tell him what's what. He really liked the number of pet names he could come up with, his current favorite being Bringer of Pain and Delight.

He made her an Ultra Lord Valentine similar to the one he made for her a few years ago. That had been his favorite day. She recognized his messy scrawl immediately and agrees to meet up after school.

Cindy advised her not to go. "Lib, we've been through this so many times. He's not worth it. You can do so much better."

"But maybe I don't want 'better.'"

He was really cute, in a clueless, hyperactive way. He treated her like she really was a queen. He definitely was not boring. Every day with Sheen was different than another. She was attracted to him, no doubt about it.

So she spent her Valentine's Day sparing with Sheen, sitting on an Ultra Lord throne, and watching the sun set while he tries to find a way to hold her hand. He performed his Arcturian Dance of Wooing from episode 921 of Ultralord, but she made him stop after a neighbor glared at them from the next house over.

And she never did tell Cindy what she did for Valentine's Day.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you."

"Sheen, doesn't that hurt to put your leg behind your head?"

"No way it's easy, here I'll show you!" He spent an entire Saturday trying to show her how to put her leg behind her head, without much success.

* * *

Being fourteen in seventh grade was hard. His voice cracked a lot and kids would laugh at him. Hair kept growing on his upper lip and the sides of his face, and he got even taller than he already was. He towered over most of the kids and tripped over his feet. The worst part was his best friends were still the same they'd always been, and he looked like a freak.

But while he hated puberty, she actually kind of liked it. His deeper voice was chilling, and she liked his towering height. She liked the scraggly hair on his face, and would often reach over and rub it when no one was looking. He asked her about it on the phone one night.

"Why do you like to grab my face? Everyone else thinks I'm a freak."

"Sheen you have a deep voice and awesome facial hair that most guys would kill for. I think they're just jealous."

"Why do you like it though?"

"You know how you like the idea being enslaved to my royal queenliness?"

"Yeah."

"It's sort of like that."

"You want to be enslaved to my facial hair?!"

* * *

"Wait, my queen!"

"What did I say? None of this in public."

"Sorry. But Ultralord awaits!" he shouted, taking her by the hand.

* * *

After living on an alien planet for over a year, he developed a really big love for science fiction. Mostly because he was pretty sure most of it wasn't fiction. If aliens were real, then a lot of the shows and movies he watched could be real too.

He got into Star Wars first. After a weekend of watching both trilogies, he called Libby and asked her to come over and watch them with him. He quoted the whole movie and would overturn their popcorn bowl at his favorite parts. They held hands, partly because he was pretty sure she was his official girlfriend, but mostly because she actually wanted to eat some popcorn and not have it all on the floor. Eventually, she tied his arms to the couch and duct taped his mouth shut so she could watch the movie in peace. He found the whole ordeal to be really hot. Plus, she admitted that she liked the movies too.

Several obsessions followed Star Wars, chiefly Doctor Who, Star Trek, Firefly, Back to the Future, and just about any movie with the word "alien" in it. And every time he got really obsessed with a new show or movie, she'd get a phone call that usually went like this, "LIBBY! Get your fine, royal fabulousness over here!"

* * *

"Libby! New _Doctor Who _episode on!"

_Doctor Who_ was one of the few shows she did actually enjoy watching with Sheen. She liked the storylines, and she found David Tennant to be very attractive. Sometimes his dad would watch with them. He used to watch reruns of the old series with Sheen's mom. Sheen would practically dance throughout the entire episode, shouting outbursts and overturning their popcorn bowl. Mr. Estevez chuckled at his hyperactive son.

One day he was practically bouncing off the walls.

"He didn't take his medication today?" she asked.

"He says he did."

Sheen was in the fetal position on the floor, bursting into waves of tears over the wedding of River Song.

"I think he needs something stronger."

* * *

For her thirteenth birthday, she woke up to the sound of an explosion.

She ran downstairs in her pajama pants and a tank top to see her kitchen on fire and Sheen standing in the middle of it. Thankfully, her parents had already called the fire department, and the damage wasn't too bad. Well, for oven exploding in your kitchen, it wasn't too bad.

"Your mom said I could make you a cake for your birthday here so I wouldn't have to carry it," he explained, "But I sort of accidentally made the oven explode."

"How'd you do that?"

He thought about that for a minute. "I don't really know. But I saved a piece of cake for you my queen!"

He held out a blackened lump of frosting and ash. He was looking at her with those pleading eyes, so she ate it. It was gross and tasted like soot and bad cake batter, but he smiled and cheered.

"Since that was a flop, I have something else planned! I'll see you at six oh Bringer of Pain and Delight!" She chuckled as he sprinted off.

Subsequently, her parents banned Sheen from using any kind of appliance in their house.

* * *

Their first day of high school was an absolute mess.

Retroville High was huge, and the kids there were, as Jimmy put it, "Uncivilized animals." Sheen was in basic remedial classes until he could pull his grades up, and he struggled to keep up with what was happening. Libby wasn't in any of his classes, which made everything ten times worse. Kids made fun of him for his hyperactive manner and obsessive love of Ultralord, and no one even tried to understand him. On the opposite end of the school, Libby was even more miserable. She had all classes with Jimmy and Cindy, which would be pretty cool if they would stop fighting. That and there a few guys who kept eyeballing her. Puberty had been kind to Libby. Once upon a time, she might have enjoyed this attention. But all she really wanted was to sit with Sheen and listen to his outburst and prevent explosions.

Thankfully, they had the same lunch period, but since Jimmy and Cindy were going through yet another rough patch, their lunch was full of hostility. While Jimmy and Cindy hurled insults and spoonfuls of mashed potatoes at each other, Sheen and Libby tried to hold hands under the table where no one would see.

"Sheen, I bet you 5 bucks that they end up kissing by the end of lunch."

He stroked his soul patch. "I accept your challenge! I bet you five bucks and five episodes of Ultralord with no complaining that they kiss in the next ten minutes."

"Deal."

They watched and waited, and it turned out that Sheen was right. Jimmy and Cindy were all over each other way before lunch was over.

"He looks like he's attacking her."

"Do all girls like that sort of thing?"

"I know I don't. I mean putting passion in your love life is great and all, but..."

"Good, cause it kind of looks uncomfortable. Oh and I won! Pay up oh glorious one."

She punched him in the stomach.

* * *

Their first real fight was really their only fight.

"Libby, why can't we ever be a real couple in public?"

She didn't say anything, just sat there on her couch, biting her bottom lip.

"Are you embarrassed by me?" he frowned.

"No! Of course not Sheen."

"You've never even told your best friend and you won't let me tell Jimmy or Carl!"

"Sheen, I'm not embarrassed by you! I just don't want everyone to know."

Usually he doesn't get upset. Not upset on this level. But she was hurting him, and he felt like he was going to explode.

"Know that you're dating a sixteen-year old freshman? The hyperactive loser of Retroville? If you aren't proud to date me, I don't know why you still are!"

And he was gone, fists clenched at his sides. She sat there, a small tear rolling down her cheek because she knew he was right and she hated herself for it. Sheen never cared what people thought of him, but it did matter to her. She wished she could be more like him. He didn't look at her for a week, no matter how many times she tried talking to him. She clutched Meltyface to her chest every night and wished she knew what to do. Sheen wouldn't believe her if she just said she wasn't embarrassed.

She needed to _do_ something because there was no way she was letting him go. Not now, not ever.

* * *

"Attention! Attention!" she shouted through her megaphone.

The Ultralord t-shirt she was wearing was hanging off her shoulders, and the sleeves were down to her elbows. She figured she deserved it for having such a tall boyfriend. But she hoped it would get the point across.

"Students of Retroville High, this is Libby Folfax speaking!" She had the attention of most of the student body now, including Cindy, Jimmy, and Carl.

"I would like to make a special announcement. I, Libby Folfax, queen of fabulousness and diva of funk, have not been honest to myself, to any of you, or to my boyfriend." She saw him in the back of the crowd and smiled. "My boyfriend, my boy-toy, my humble servant, my Ultralord, and my favorite person in the entire world is Sheen Estevez. And I'm sorry for not publically admitting that sooner. And if anyone has a problem with that, deal with it."

She lowered her megaphone to gauge the reactions. Just as predicted, the upperclassmen shrugged it off, muttering "Stupid freshmen," and heading to class. A few girls glanced at Libby like she had grown an extra head. Several guys were just gazing at her curvy frame and coco toned skin. Jimmy and Cindy stood there with their mouths wide open while Carl was smiling and asking Sheen if he could go on one of their dates with them. The one reaction that stood above all others was Sheen's ear-to-ear grin.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," she said smiling.

"I'm sorry for overreacting."

"Don't be. Forgive me?"

"How could I stay mad at my queen?" They stood there grinning like complete idiots until the bell rang.

"Wait, did I give you that shirt?" he asked as they walked to her locker.

"Not exactly… I sort of snuck into your house and took it from your dresser last night…" she admitted sheepishly.

"You snuck into my house?!"

* * *

One of her favorite things to do was to kiss Sheen.

Of course all girls usually do enjoy kissing their boyfriends, but Libby really, really liked it. She liked the way his scruff felt on her face and how his lips weren't ever chapped or dry. She liked how he would nibble her bottom lip and how he would smile when she started kissing him. And, like most things, the more they kissed, the better he became. Sheen was ecstatic by how often Libby would kiss him. One minute they'd be watching _Firefly_ and the next, she'd by grabbing his face and pressing her lips on his. She always tasted good, like vanilla and cinnamon and Ultralord gummies that he would insist she try.

Soon, they had a pretty steady routine. After school, they'd go to his house and watch a movie or an episode of _Star Trek_. If it was something she had already seen or was uninterested in, she usually distracted him, and they'd end up in a make-out session before his dad got home. Sometimes, Mr. Estevez would let her stay for dinner, but most days she just went home. She would do her homework or work on a dance routine or text Cindy until Sheen would call with a million questions about his homework. She'd talk him through various geometry and biology problems before insisting that he hang up and go help Jimmy in the lab. The boys would usually get into something, whether Jimmy took them somewhere in the rocket or had a new invention that needed testing. By 10:00, she'd be in bed with her phone and playing Greystar on her iPod. His texts would be sporadic and nonsensical, usually about whatever he, Jimmy, and Carl had done that day. Eventually, she would just call him. He could talk for hours, but he'd hang up around midnight because Libby would yawn more than talk back.

"Goodnight Princess Funkenstein!" was usually his signoff.

* * *

Cindy walked in on them making out during sophomore year.

"My eyes! My eyes!"

Libby was stretched out on top of his lanky body, hands weaved through his hair. Sheen's face was bright red, and he hastily repositioned his neck so Cindy wouldn't see the bruises forming there. Libby sighed, glanced at her shrieking friend, and shrugged.

"That's why you should knock. And don't act all high and mighty, I've seen you and Jimmy plenty of times."

Cindy's cheeks flushed. "I can't believe you guys are still dating. Libby, look at him!"

She did look, and Libby saw her awkward, hyperactive, Ultralord obsessed boyfriend looking back. She knew he really wanted to get back to what they were doing, and Cindy's loud voice was just killing the mood. "He's got really sexy facial hair. And I'm fond of him. Now please, some privacy. Shut the door on your way out."

* * *

One day when he was playing video games, his dad walked in and sat down next to him.

"Son, I've noticed you and Libby are spending more time together, and I think it's time."

"Time for what?"

"It's time I explained to you the birds and the bees." He managed to say seven words before the realization hit Sheen.

"Whoa! No, no, I do not want to hear this! I DON'T WANT THIS CONVERSATION!" He ran from the room screaming with his hands over his ears.

* * *

Her phone beeped with a text from Cindy.

"Want to double date with me and Nerdtron?"

In all honesty, she did not. She appreciated that Cindy was trying to be more supportive of their relationship, but the last thing she wanted to do was double date. Cindy and Jimmy were very unpredictable, and they were often so wrapped up in each other that they made everyone around them uncomfortable.

She asked Sheen about it, and he felt the same.

"So what do I say?"

"No times a million and four. Plus five. Actually, an infinite amount of no's would be better. That's the highest number isn't it?"

She ended up saying yes, and Libby and Sheen sat across a booth in a fancy restaurant on a Friday night from their bickering friends. Between the "I'm right and you're wrong," and the "You think you're so smart," and the "You make me sick," Libby continuously rolled her eyes and Sheen ate five pieces of bread in less than 30 seconds. Libby raised her eyebrow at him.

"Tension makes me eat faster," he explained.

She pulled out a blue pen from her purse and scribbled a note on her napkin. "Bad idea. Feel free to hate me for as long as we're here."

Sheen smiled and wrote back. Libby had gotten pretty good at deciphering his messy scrawl by now.

"You owe me _ten_ Ultralord episodes without any complaints. And I get to pick the makeout music for a week."

"No way! I am not kissing you to the Ultralord theme song, the Imperial March, or the Batman theme."

"Why do you know me so well?!"

"That's my job. Is there any way we can sneak out of here?"

"I can call the Atomic Monkey Special Forces Squad."

"The monkeys?"

"They are skilled at their job!"

"What the heck, give 'em a call. Just get me out of here before I throw spaghetti in Jimmy's face."

"Huzzah! You rock babe!"

* * *

At his eighteenth birthday, she slipped a paper wad in his hand while Jimmy was cutting the cake with a laser.

"Meet me later. 10:00."

He didn't understand it, but he concluded that was probably when he'd get his present, and the thought excited him. Libby always got him the best presents. For his seventeenth birthday, she'd gotten him an autographed poster of Darth Vadar and a ton of X-Men comic books.

After his friends had left, he snuck over to Libby's. Libby had been planning this for months, and she was actually really, really excited.

"Lib? Libby? My flawless queen, you there?" he whispered from her window.

She was impressed he managed to whisper. "I'm not Libby."

He crawled in and squinted. All her lights were off and he couldn't see.

"Wait, are you a clone? Have they finally moved onto cloning humans?! Insanity! I'll never be able to tell who the real me is ever again!"

She jumped off her bed, smoothing her robes. "Would you calm down?! You need to keep your voice low, my parents are still awake. And sweetie please, I am not a clone."

She stepped back and flipped her light switch.

Sheen's mouth dropped at the sight of Libby, his girlfriend, fully dressed as Princess Leia, buns and all. The white dress was form fitting, and highlighted her curves before falling into a graceful skirt gathered around her legs. Her hair was crafted into large buns, rolled, combed, and sprayed to the highest perfection.

"Am I dreaming?" he whispered with awe.

She grinned. "My gift to you. You have Princess Leia at your service for a full hour. Starting… Now."

He moved forward. "I just want to touch the buns."

He pressed his face into her hair bun, breathing in and sighing with pleasure. "They feel like I always thought they would!"

He stayed crouched at her side, simply rubbing his face on her hair buns for five minutes, until she reminded him that he only had 55 minutes left.

"No, I just want to stay here for a few more minutes. Oh man these feel amazing."

* * *

"Can we go laser tagging?"

"Why?"

"Because there's laser and you get to shoot people and go crazy without any restrictions."

She pretended like she was thinking about it. "Hmm… I don't know Sheen…"

He bolted to the floor on his knees, hands clasped. "Pleeeeeease Libby! Please go with me! I will never ask anything of you again as long as I live! Have compassion on a laser deprived boy-man!"

She smirked down at him. "Okay."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I HAVE THE BEST GIRLFRIEND EVER!"

* * *

He came over one day with a pair of nun-chucks.

She had been doing homework but dropped it immediately when he was waving frantically at her.

"I bought these so we can improve our skills."

"Combat skills?"

"Exacta-mundo. College is out for me, so my only option left is to have an excessive and impressive amount of battle skills so the United States government will hire me for elite missions of national security."

She eyed him. "Your vocabulary is getting better."

"Only for the important stuff babe. Now, attack me!" He threw a makeshift bow staff at her.

They had both gotten pretty good at sparring, but that was the extent of Sheen's "battle skills."

"Sheen I really don't think this is a good idea!" she called at him. But he was already poised, ninja face on, ready to go on the defensive against her blows. With a weapon he had no idea how to use.

"Great," she murmured.

She picked up the staff and ran at him, screeching battle cries. He dodged and rolled away, swinging the nun-chucks in a large circle in front of him. He charged towards her, swinging away. She blocked his weapons with her staff, ducking away from him. He ran after her, swinging and screaming his own battle cries while her neighbors watched with a sigh. At one point, she thought she had him. She had the high ground, fighting from the top of her porch, and was in a perfect position to leap on him and pin him. But she underestimated the power of his frantic swinging.

In mid jump, his nun-chuck struck her in the face. She landed on top of him, clutching her eyes, staff fallen to the ground.

"You hit my eye!"

"I know! What a great shot! I mean, OH NO I MAIMED MY WOMAN!"

He turned her face towards his. "Let me see."

Her eye was swollen and purple, and was clearly going to need some ice.

"I'll get you something cold."

He ran inside, grabbing a bag of frozen peas and fleeing before Mrs. Folfax could discover he maimed her daughter. He pressed the frozen bag to her face.

"Did I hurt you really bad?"

She smiled. "Yeah, you kind of did."

His face fell.

"But I forgive you."

"Really?"

"As long as you forgive me."

"For what?"

"This." Then she punched him in the eye.

"Now we can match."

* * *

The night before graduation, Sheen and Libby sat on the top of his roof, holding hands and enjoying the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

But while he always enjoy Libby's presence, he was nervous. Tomorrow was the end of their old lives and the start of a new one. He wasn't sure if he was ready. He didn't like the fact that he didn't know if Libby would be in his new life. She had been accepted into several colleges, while he barely managed to make it into Retroville Community College. He didn't want to do anything without her. He would miss her too much.

"Hey Lib?" he asked, breaking their silence.

"Hm?"

"Can we explore outer space instead of graduating tomorrow? I just want to meet aliens and fight monsters and travel. And I want to do it with you."

She smiled at him. "Will you let me bring all my CDs?"

"Yes. Bring Boys to Men, I love them."

"And the TV?"

"What else would we watch Doctor Who on?"

"And I need a way to communicate back home? My parents will be concerned that I'm traveling the universe with the boy that blew up their kitchen."

"I guess. I swear your dad doesn't like me because of that one time he saw us…"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "I don't like thinking about that. I got lectured for hours…"

He smiled. "You know no one gets me like you do. Not even Jimmy or Carl."

She didn't say anything for a few moments. "Do you have a rocket?"

"I was actually planning on stealing Jimmy's. Again. Because I think I can actually fly it now."

She squeezed his hand, and he already knew what she wanted to say.

"Would you?"

"To be with my boy toy? Of course."

* * *

One of her favorite quotes from Doctor Who was in the Season 2 episode "Love & Monsters." She thought Elton Pope explained her life perfectly.

The moment they graduated, Sheen blasted off from Jimmy's backyard, with his girlfriend, a bag of snacks, forty bucks, and Libby's boom box. He never looked back.

Libby, surprisingly enough, did not look back either. She explained to her parents what she was doing, and then she did it. It was the best feeling she'd ever had.

He took her to planets. They met hostile and friendly aliens, saw undiscovered worlds, had amazing adventures, fought their way out of deadly situations, and kept an ever vigilante eye out for a blue box. They were travelers, they were spacemen, they were lovers, and they were happy. Her parents kept the letter she wrote them, and often looked to the stars with love for their daughter, who ran off with a mad man in a rocket.

"I love you both. I know this isn't what we planned for. You certainly weren't planning for this. I mean, who would have thought I'd travel through space with Sheen Estevez. My eleven-year-old self certainly did not. But I love Sheen, I really do. I love life with him. And there's nothing more I'd rather do that see the universe with my hyperactive boyfriend. We'll visit often; don't think I've forgotten you. I'll always come home. I hope you understand why I chose to do this. Dad is probably screaming that I'm throwing my life away. But I know I'm not. 'When you're a kid, they tell you it's all… Grow up get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid and that's it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker, and so much madder. And so much better.' Love, Libby"


End file.
